Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Term limits show national appeal Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 11:28:29 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION;ELECTIONS '92 \HD Term limits show national appeal \BY Joyce Price \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Congressional term-limit initiatives won overwhelmingly in all 14 states where they were on the ballot, a move proponents called the first step toward making term limits national. All of the measures limit senators to 12 years in office. Limits for House members range from six to 12 years. The states are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. The measures won by 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 margins in most states. "Twenty million Americans voted for term limits Tuesday night," said Jeff Langan, spokesman for U.S. Term Limits, a D.C.-based group that sponsored the 14 ballot initiatives. "This was a vote telling Congress that people absolutely demand term limits for members of Congress. We won with clear mandates," he said. In other ballot action, Oregon voters rejected a measure that would have branded homosexuality "abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse" and prohibited governments at all levels in the state from passing homosexual-rights laws. But Colorado voters supported a measure to repeal homosexual-rights legislation enacted by three municipalities: Denver, Boulder and Aspen. "I've been told Governor [Roy] Romer has said he'll not implement the initiative statewide," Gregory King, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the nation's largest homosexual organization, said yesterday. Mr. Gregory said the Colorado vote and one in Tampa, Fla., that overturned an ordinance barring discrimination against homosexuals "make it more likely we'll get broad, moderate support for a federal civil rights law." California voters defeated Proposition 161, which would have made their state the first to permit physician-assisted suicide by competent, terminally ill patients. "It was defeated by a margin of 54 to 46, the exact margin" of defeat for a similar initiative in Washington state in 1991, said Kris Larson, spokesman for the Hemlock Society. Ms. Larson blamed the defeat on the Roman Catholic Church, which ran extensive TV advertising opposing the proposition. "But this issue is not going to go away," she said. "Both Washington state and Oregon will have initiatives on the ballot in 1994." Colorado voters decisively defeated state Amendment 7, a school-voucher measure. The proposition would have given parents vouchers worth about $2,100 to send their children to any school. In other ballot issues, Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval for any tax increases and rejected an amendment that would have raised the state sales tax by 1 cent to pay for public schools. "Voters are still saying 'no new taxes,' " said David Keating, executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union. "Ten states considered 11 major tax-increase proposals. Nine were soundly defeated, and one appears to be losing." Meanwhile, he said, six of eight measures reducing taxes or limiting spending were approved. As for congressional term limits, Mr. Langan said the wins were particularly gratifying in California, Michigan and Washington. In those states the initiatives faced the well-heeled opposition of congressional incumbents such as Rep. John Dingell, Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and House Speaker Thomas Foley, Washington Democrat. "The people prevailed over the politicians," Mr. Langan said. "President-elect Clinton, House Speaker Foley and House Majority Leader [Dick] Gephardt all live in states which approved term-limit initiatives Tuesday. So we feel these officials should immediately take action on a constitutional amendment that would limit congressional terms to six years in the House and 12 in the Senate." Some feel a constitutional amendment would be necessary because of uncertainty about whether states can limit terms for federal officials. ****BOX BALLOT ISSUES State-by-state election results for key ballot initiatives. Alabama: Wilderness preservation program approved. Arizona: Abortion ban defeated. Creation of Martin Luther King holiday approved. Lethal injection to replace gas chamber approved. Animal trap ban defeated. Arkansas: Property tax relief approved. Pay raise for legislators, top state officials approved. California: Mandatory employee health insurance defeated. Allow doctor-aided suicide defeated. Cut welfare, boost governor's budget power defeated. Colorado: Vouchers for school choice defeated. Ban on homosexual rights measures approved. Tax limitation approved. Victims bill of rights approved. Florida: Property tax assessment cap approved. Georgia: State lottery for education approved. Idaho: Ban on casino gambling, including on Indian reservations, approved. Property tax cap defeated. Illinois: Making education basic right, mostly state funded, defeated. Victims bill of rights approved. Iowa: Equal Rights Amendment defeated. Kansas: Tax reform approved. Victims bill of rights approved. Kentucky: Allowing governors to succeed themselves in office approved. Allow gambling for charity approved. Louisiana: Proposal limiting state spending, debt, while easing restrictions on budget cuts defeated. Maine: Repeal of Portland homosexual rights ordinance approved. Massachusetts: Recyclable packaging requirement defeated. Excise tax on toxic chemicals, some petroleum products defeated. Cigarette tax increase approved. Michigan: Property assessment limits, property tax cut both defeated. Auto insurance cut defeated. Mississippi: Repeal of ban on lotteries approved. Missouri: Riverboat gambling approved. Nebraska: State lottery approved. Nevada: Limiting appeals of death row inmates, other convicts approved. New Jersey: Allow death penalty for inflicting serious injury that results in death, with or without intent to kill, approved. New Mexico: Victims bill of rights approved. North Dakota: Regulations, taxes on waste undecided. Limits on police vehicle searches defeated. Half-cent sales tax increase to pay for water projects defeated. Oklahoma: Property tax limits approved. Charity games regulations approved. Health care provider tax defeated. Capital bond issue approved. Oregon: Anti-homosexual amendment defeated. Increase of cap on business property tax defeated. South Dakota: Repeal of video lottery defeated. Creation of income tax, cut in property tax defeated. Creation of landfill for out-of-state garbage defeated. Acreage limits on surface gold and silver mining approved. Utah: Allowing pari-mutuel betting at horse racetracks defeated. Washington: Campaign contribution limits approved. Wisconsin: Tax relief to homeowners, farmers defeated. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM